1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a macro program management system, and more specifically, to a macro program management system for facilitating manipulation of macro programs in development of application programs using a macro language provided by spreadsheet software and the like or in maintenance of the developed application programs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some types of software provide macro functions that allow users to develop their original application programs to automate a series of prescribed tasks. Electronic spreadsheets are the most typical software of this kind, with which the user can write a macro language script (or an application program) to execute some routine tasks. In such an application of spreadsheet, several buttons are embedded in a worksheet to initiate some fixed procedures, and by pressing one of the buttons, a macro program associated thereto will start and execute its prescribed procedure. Such buttons are generally called "objects."
Normally, the objects to initiate macro programs are stored separately from the macro programs to be initiated by the objects. Thus, when the user tries to edit a macro program linked to an object, he/she has to follow the steps of:
(1) selecting the object on a worksheet that links to the macro program to be edited, PA0 (2) displaying properties of the selected object, which include the size of the button, text printed on the button, registered macro name, etc., PA0 (3) confirming the macro name in the property listing, and PA0 (4) calling up a screen for editing the confirmed macro program.
As such, when the user wishes to edit a macro program associated to an object, he/she cannot immediately start it but must follow some steps to reach the macro edit screen. This is because the information about linkage between objects and macro programs is not provided in an explicit manner.
During the development stage of such macro application programs, it is necessary to repeat edit operations such as altering, adding, and deleting with regard to the programs. This is why there arises a strong demand for a macro program management system that facilitates those operations to update macro programs.